The fire rescue belt described in this specification is an apparatus that is designed to easily and quickly provide a rescue device to a fireman in aid of a victim.
A. Introduction of the Problems Addressed
Rescue devices to aid in the removal of victims have traditionally been focused on bulky and cumbersome devices. The devices often require two or more people in order to use the device in rescue. There is a critical need for a simple, lightweight and portable apparatus to aid a fireman or other rescue person in transporting a victim to safety. This is especially important in smoke-filled, perilous situation where a fire response team is separated from each other and a single fireman is faced with transporting a victim by him or herself. Little has been accomplished to provide a simple, compact and single person assist to aid in the transport of a victim. Other prior art does not suggest or disclose the features of the Fire rescue Belt.
B. Prior Art
Rescue and patient transport devices have been featured in a number of U.S. patents since the 1950's. Some devices have attempted to improve upon a transport and rescue device for parts of the problem as stated. In use, the prior art devices were often cumbersome, complex and required two or more people to utilize the device. The new Fire Rescue Belt addresses these limitations and provides a solution to the stated problems.
Examples of prior apparatus for rescuing and transporting victims begin with U.S. Pat. No. 2,788,530 issued to Ferguson (1957). This teaches a large, non-compact device used with rigid poles, complex straps and envelopes to secure a victim. It may be folded into a very large roll for transport as compared to a small compact roll in the new fire rescue belt.
The U.S. Pat. No. 4,124,908 issued to Burns (1978) discloses a rescue and transport device that contains the whole body of a victim. It is comparatively much larger than the new fire rescue belt and requires multiple people to transport a victim. It uses an extensive system of Velcro® connector straps. The U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,557 issued to Clemens (1984) discloses a carrier apparatus for use by fire fighters primarily to carry fire hose, and secondarily to serve as a “sheet-like” personnel carrier. The rather large device, compared to the new fire rescue belt, carries additional hose on a fire truck. Securing straps for the hose are provided, but a victim is transported out with the friction and weight of the victim maintaining them on the “sheet” carrier drug by the fireman.
Another rescue device patented is U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,253 issued to Hettinger (1984). It discloses a fireman's coat modified by the addition of several emergency evacuation straps along the sides, the tops of the shoulders, and behind the neck. These straps permit a fireman overcome by smoke or otherwise incapacitated to be effectively and quickly evacuated by use of the straps as handles to drag or carry the fireman to safety. This is not show use with a non-fireman victim.
Other prior art emergency transport solutions propose various stretcher devices including, Frettem, U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,260 (1987) which discloses a flexible stretcher device for flexibly and adjustably transporting a human body. The flexible stretcher device is comprised of a flexible, carrying and support body member, elongated tubular envelope members, and has a pair of rigid support members for placement in the elongated tubular envelope members. The device is complex, large and rigid compared to the new fire rescue belt presented. A hazard material bag and transport device is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,040 issued to Grilliot (1988). It provides a “sealable bag” that fully encloses a victim, including the head.
Another patent, issued to Murphy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,050,254 (1991) discloses a large evacuation sheet that can be folded to form an envelope. Several binding straps are provided which serve to secure the two lengths of the web in the face to face relationship and handles are provided which facilitate the lifting of the envelope. The device originally was shown to evacuate by a bedridden patient by lifting them from the bed using the lifting handles. Another emergency patient evacuation system is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,746 issued to Horie (1993) which shows another sheet-like system with a series of handles and straps. It teaches to enclose the full body with a sheet like material and a rigid bottom.
Still another patent, issued Ricketts, U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,604 (1995) discloses a patient rescue bag provided with an upper portion and a lower portion for use in carrying an injured person from a remote location that is not accessible by normal emergency vehicles. By use of a series of sheets with multiple strips of hook and loop fastener material, the patient rescue bag can be adjusted to the size of the injured person being carried. The portable yet bulky device also teaches the material provides insulation to a victim. Finally, a portable stretcher is taught by U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,303 issued to Richardson (1998) which shows a flexible stretcher which has several straps and requires multiple persons to carry the victim. The stretcher system encircles the whole body of the victim.
While many additional patents could be cited regarding other variations of assemblies, none of these prior art solutions address the problems of either the single person rescue device or the compact and light weight design of the present device. The others are or have not been commercially successful because they are too complex and costly. None of the prior art teaches all the features and capabilities of the Fire Rescue Belt.